L.A. Department of Water and Power’s Plans for Downsized Natural Gas Plant Draws Criticism from Environmentalists

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The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power will seek to scale back plans for a Utah power plant fueled by natural gas, under a proposal backed unanimously Tuesday by the Board of Water and Power Commissioners.

The Utah plant would replace an existing facility powered with coal, which the DWP aims to stop using entirely by 2025, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the facility by 83%. Utility officials described it as part of a package that would help advance its environmental goals, along with pilot programs involving green energy and an additional $100 million for energy efficiency and conservation programs targeted at poor renters.

But environmental activists from the Sierra Club and Food & Water Watch were disappointed by the move, arguing that the DWP should have insisted on a renewable-energy facility instead of another fossil fuel plant.

“Moving from coal to methane is still a terrible idea,” said Andrea Leon-Grossmann, an organizer for Food & Water Watch.